Panetolikos peg AEK back
GREEK FOOTBALL CUP - QUARTER FINALS
Despite initially taking the lead, AEK were held to a 1-1 draw by Panetolikos on the road in the first leg of the Greek Cup quarter-final tie.
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Taking into account Panetolikos’ poor form in the domestic campaign, AEK were big favourites to emerge victorious in the first leg in Agrinio, and everything seemed to be going to plan for the Enosi when Stratos Svarnas opened the scoring in the first half. However, in the 60th minute, Abiola Dauda struck an equaliser which keeps Panetolikos in the tie.
The return will take place at the Olympic Stadium in Athens on February 12.
THE MATCH
Having dominated the early stages in Agrinio, AEK eventually took the lead in the 32nd minute, as Svarnas headed Marko Livaja’s clever pass across the penalty area into the net.
Nevertheless, Panetolikos responded credibly, and Panagiotis Tsintotas was forced into tipping a looping cross over the bar as it briefly threatened to catch him off guard.
Not long later, Stavros Vasilantonopoulos almost grabbed a second for AEK, with a Panetolikos defender deflected his cross off target with the goalkeeper stricken.
On the stroke of half time, Livaja should have doubled the AEK advantage, but he smacked the ball wide after receiving a clever pass from Sergio Araujo.
AEK were made to pay for that miss.
15 minutes after the restart, Dauda escaped the AEK defence, before he subsequently hammered a thunderous effort beyond the despairing dive of Tsintotas.
In the remaining minutes, AEK threw everything, as Niklas Hult, Livaja and Damian Szymanski all wasted glorious opportunities to snatch a victory. In the dying moments, Livaja contrived to hit the woodwork, however the offside flag had already been raised.
THE TEAMS
Panetolikos: Fernandez, Kevin, Sjostedt, Malis, Tzanakakis (Tsingaras 76’), Martial, Mounier (Alvarez 64’), Diaz (Tahar 80’), Dalcio, Farley, Dauda.
AEK: Tsintotas, Hult, Svarnas, Chygrynskiy, Vranjes, Vasilantonopoulos, Sabanadzovic (Szymanski 66’), Simoes, Mantalos, Livaja (Christopoulos 86’), Almpanis (Araujo 23’).
HIGHLIGHTS
